Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
Nominations Accepted Online for Top Fire Sprinkler Industry Awards
The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) is accepting nominations for its top honors: the prestigious Henry S. Parmelee Award, esteemed Fire Sprinkler Advocate of the Year award, and the new yet highly regarded Young Professional of the Year award. The awards will be presented during AFSA39: Convention, Exhibition & Apprentice Competition in Orlando, Florida, and the recipients will be featured in Sprinkler Age magazine. Nomination forms are now available online at firesprinkler.org/awards.
Henry S. Parmelee Award
AFSA’s highest honor, the Henry S. Parmelee award is given in recognition of an outstanding individual who has dedicated himself or herself to the professional advancement of the fire sprinkler industry and to the goal of fire safety through automatic sprinklers. Members of AFSA may nominate someone who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to improving the fire sprinkler industry. The award was instituted by AFSA in 1983 to give recognition to distinguished industry professionals and to memorialize Henry S. Parmelee, an outstanding pioneer in the fire sprinkler industry who is recognized as the inventor of the first commercially successful closed sprinkler. The nomination deadline for the 2020 award is July 1, 2020.
Fire Sprinkler Advocate of the Year Award
This award was created to honor individuals not directly involved in the fire sprinkler industry whose efforts have had a national impact on advancing the fire protection industry and automatic fire sprinklers. Previously known as the Fire Service Person of the Year, the award was renamed in 2001 to better reflect the diversity of backgrounds, including the fire service, as well as legislative, code, and standards-setting groups, in which individuals can have a major impact on the fire sprinkler industry. Previous recipients include Home Safety Council President Meri-K Appy; Fire- and Life-Safety Educator Jan Gratton; Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Spokesman Ron Hazelton; California State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover; Congressman Jim Langevin; and Senator Rick Santorum. The nomination deadline for the 2020 award is April 1, 2020.
Young Professional of the Year Award
Created in 2016, the Young Professional of the Year award and honors the contributions of promising fire protection specialists and serves to: reaffirm the growing importance of fire sprinkler knowledge in the world of business and construction management among the next generation of industry leaders; promote the emergence of young talented professionals in the field of fire protection, thus fostering interest for the fire sprinkler profession and a future career in this field of expertise; and inspire fire protection companies and the fire protection community to invest even more in the development and excellence of the profession. Meaghen Wills of Anchor Fire Protection in Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania; Tiffany Moore with Moore Fire Protection in Issaquah, Washington; Kevin Mozak of Meridian Fire Protection in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,; and Stuart Weeks with American Fire Protection, Inc., Greenville, South Carolina; are past recipients. Nominations for the 2020 YPY award are due by April 1, 2020. Nominees do not need to be a member of AFSA to be eligible. Nominations may be submitted to AFSA online at firesprinkler.org/awards.
Fire Sprinklers Save Lives Award
In addition to the awards presented annually at the convention, AFSA’s Fire Sprinklers Save Lives award is presented year-round to recognize individuals outside the fire sprinkler industry who help dispel the myths about fire sprinklers by generating public awareness about this life-saving technology. AFSA’s Public Education & Awareness Committee accepts and recommends nominees for this award and they are approved by the AFSA Board of Directors. Nominations may be submitted to AFSA online at firesprinkler.org/awards. The nomination will be considered at the next meeting of the committee.
Focus on Fire Sprinklers in Florida
AFSA is destined for the East Coast in 2020! Join us at the Hilton Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Florida, September 13-16 for AFSA39: Convention, Exhibition & Apprentice Competition. This year’s event will feature the industry’s largest fire sprinkler exhibit, technical and managerial seminars, and the 27th Annual National Apprentice Competition. Bookmark firesprinkler.org/afsa39 to keep up to date with details as they are announced.
Henry S. Parmelee Award Past Recipients
1983 John M. Rhodes, Factory Mutual Research
1984 William J. Meyer, Central Sprinkler Corp.
1985 C. B. Hall, American Automatic Sprinkler Co.
1986 Harold L. Black, Central Fire Protection, Inc.
1987 Edward J. Reilly, Ed Reilly Associates
1988 Richard T. Groos, The Viking Corporation
1989 Ron Coleman, Chief, Fullerton Fire Dept., CA
1990 Frank J. Fee III, Reliable Automatic Sprinkler
1991 Dr. John M. Bryan, University of Maryland, School of Fire Protection Engineering
1992 W. D. (Dave) Hilton, Chief, Cobb County Fire Dept., GA
1993 J. Frank Riseden, AFSA President 1983-1991
1994 Haden B. Brumbeloe, Publisher, FPC Magazine
1995 Edward H. Smith, H.F.P. Corp.
1996 Tom Waller, Viking Fire Protection of the SouthEast
1997 Chester W. Schirmer, Schirmer Engineering
1998 Tom Siegfried, Retired Chief, Altamonte Springs, FL
1999 Donald D. Becker, Midland Automatic Sprinkler Co.
2000 Robert L. McCullough, AllSouth Sprinkler Co. (awarded posthumously)
2001 Buck Buchanan, Central Sprinkler Corporation
2002 Frank M. Winiecki, General Sprinkler Corp.
2003 Jack Viola, H.F.P. Corp.
2004 Lowell Gillett, Fire Engineering Co., Inc. (retired)
2005 Joe Hankins, FM Global (retired)
2006 Art Cote, NFPA (retired)
2007 Thomas T. Groos, Viking Corp.
2008 Bill Corbin, Mutual Sprinklers, Inc.
2009 Lloyd Ivy, AFSA Director of Membership 1986-2009
2010 Martin L. “Marty” Giles, VSC Fire & Security
2011 Willie Templin, American Automatic Sprinkler, Inc.
2012 Bob Rees, Sunland Fire Protection
2013 Russ Leavitt, Telgian Corporation
2014 James Golinveaux, Tyco Fire Protection Products
2015 George Wagner, Worsham Sprinkler Company
2016 Steve Muncy, AFSA President 1992-2016
2017 Bob Caputo, Fire & Life Safety America
2018 Kraig Kirschner, AFCON
2019 Manning Strickland, Strickland Fire Protection, Inc.
